INDYCAR News for the Weeks of May 13 – May 26, 2019

The Open Wheel’s Indy 500 photo gallery – The Open Wheel’s race day photo gallery of the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/26/2019)

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Pagenaud wins Indy 500 thriller over Rossi – Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud won the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a late pass over Alexander Rossi. The Full Top 5 was Pagenaud, Rossi, Sato, Newgarden, and Power. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/26/2019)

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The Open Wheel’s Indy 500 pit wall page – The Open Wheel’s livery feature of all the NTT IndyCar Series teams’ pit wall graphics for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/26/2019)

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The Open Wheel’s Indy 500 livery page – The Open Wheel’s livery feature of all the cars at the NTT IndyCar Series 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/26/2019)

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The Open Wheel’s Indy 500 Carb Day photo gallery – The Open Wheel’s photo gallery of NTT IndyCar Series and Indy Lights action on Carb Day for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/24/2019)

Askew wins wild Freedom 100 by 0.0067 secs – Andretti Autosport’s Oliver Askew won the Indy Lights Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by just 0.0067 seconds on a late move at the finish line. The full Top 5 was Askew, Norman, VeeKay, Sowery, and Kellett. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (5/24/2019)

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Kanaan fastest in Carb Day practice at IMS – AJ Foyt Racing’s Tony Kanaan was fastest in Carb Day practice for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a lap at 225.517mph. The Full Top 5 was Kanaan, Ferrucci, Sato, King, and Davison. 1,755 laps were turned in the incident-free session. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/24/2019)

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INDYCAR announces and unveils Aeroscreen for ’20 – “INDYCAR has formed a partnership with Red Bull Advanced Technologies to design an Aeroscreen for enhanced driver cockpit protection that will be implemented for the outset of the 2020 NTT IndyCar Series season, the two organizations announced in a joint news conference at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Aeroscreen is being developed by Red Bull Advanced Technologies to reduce the risk of driver injury from debris or other objects striking the cockpit area. The driver safety innovation that will encompass the cockpit consists of a ballistic Aeroscreen anchored by titanium framework.” Full release at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/24/2019)

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The Open Wheel’s Month of May IMS Garage Sign gallery – The Open Wheel’s photo feature with images of all the NTT IndyCar Series teams’ Gasoline Alley signs for the INDYCAR Grand Prix and 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/24/2019)

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The Open Wheel’s Freedom 100 livery page – The Open Wheel’s Indy Lights Freedom 100 livery page features the livery of all 11 cars entered into the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Check it out at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/23/2019)

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Five drivers lose Freedom 100 qualifying times, Megennis keeps pole – Five drivers lost their Freedom 100 qualifying times from Thursday after failing technical inspection. The new Top 5 on the grid are Megennis, Norman, Telitz, Kellett, and Windom. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (5/24/2019)

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Trackside podcast 5/23/19 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/23/19 is a great listen as always. Paul Tracy, Mike Tirico, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are guests on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/24/2019)

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Megennis earns Freedom 100 pole – Andretti Autosport’s Robert Megennis won the pole in Indy Lights Freedom 100 qualifying at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a two-lap average of 194.206mph. The full Top 5 was Megennis, Askew, Norman, Andretti, and Kohl. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (5/23/2019)

Belardi adds Telitz for Freedom 100 – “Veteran Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires driver, Aaron Telitz, has joined Belardi Auto Racing once again to compete at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the Freedom 100 Presented by Cooper Tires. Wisconsin Native Telitz has spent the early part of 2019 competing with AIM Vasser Sullivan in the GTD class in the IMSA WeatherTech Championship, but is excited to be jumping back into a Dallara IL-15 car.” Full release at the link. – Belardi Auto Racing – (5/23/2019)

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Trackside podcast 5/22/19 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/22/19 is a great listen as always. Townsend Bell, Kelli Stavast, Josef Newgarden, Anders Krohn, and Andrew Luck are guests on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/23/2019)

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Juncos announces “250ok” primary sponsorship for Indy 500 – “Juncos Racing announced today that 250ok, an Indianapolis- based email intelligence platform, would be the primary sponsor for Kyle Kaiser’s No. 32 Chevrolet entry for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.” Full release at the link. – Juncos Racing – (5/22/2019)

Trackside podcast 5/21/19 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/21/19 is a great listen as always. – 1070 The Fan – (5/22/2019)

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Trackside podcast 5/20/19 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/20/19 is a great listen as always. Takuma Sato, Alexander Rossi, Sage Karam, Conor Daly, Ben Hanley and Kyle Kaiser are guests on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/21/2019)

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Megennis tops Lights testing at IMS – Andretti Autosport’s Robert Megennis was fastest in Indy Lights testing on the oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday with a lap at 197.714mph. The Full combined Top 5 on the day was Megennis, VeeKay, Norman, Askew, and Andretti. Full results here. – Indy Lights – (5/20/2019)

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AP details McLaren’s failure to qualify for the Indy 500 – Jenna Fryer has posted an excellent story for the Associated Press on McLaren’s failure to qualify for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. McLaren CEO Zak Brown spills embarrassing details on how it all went wrong. This must read story is available at the link. – AP – (5/20/2019)

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Pagenaud tops Monday Practice 8 at IMS – Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud was fastest once again at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as his lap at 228.441mph topped Practice 8 for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Full Top 5 was Pagenaud, Newgarden, Hinchcliffe, Dixon, and Rossi. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/20/2019)

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Claman out for Freedom 100 and rest of Lights season – Zachary Claman posted to his Instagram account on Sunday night that he will be unable to compete in the Freedom 100 and the rest of the Indy Lights season due to sponsorship issues. – Zachary Claman – (5/19/2019)

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The Open Wheel’s Indy 500 qualifying photo gallery – The Open Wheel’s photo gallery of NTT IndyCar Series qualifying for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/19/2019)

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The Open Wheel’s Indy 500 starting grid feature – The Open Wheel’s starting grid feature for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/19/2019)

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Grid set for 103rd Indy 500 – The official starting grid for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race is set after qualifying wrapped up on Sunday. Simon Pagenaud won the pole while Alonso, Chilton, and O’Ward were unable to qualify. View the starting grid here. – INDYCAR – (5/19/2019)

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Pagenaud takes pole for the Indy 500 – Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud won the pole for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile with a 4-lap average of 229.992mph. He’s joined on the front row by Carpenter and Pigot. – The Open Wheel – (5/19/2019)

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Karam, Hinch, and Kaiser earn final Indy 500 spots – Sage Karam, James Hinchcliffe, and Kyle Kaiser earned spots on the last row of the grid for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in last row shootout qualifying on Sunday. That means Fernando Alonso, Max Chilton, and Patricio O’Ward each missed out on qualifying for the race. – The Open Wheel – (5/19/2019)

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Pigot tops Saturday Indy 500 qualifying; Alonso and Hinch out of Top 30 – Ed Carpenter Racing’s Spencer Pigot was fastest in Saturday qualifying for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile race with a 4-lap average of 230.083mph. The Top 9 going for pole on Sunday, assuming it doesn’t rain, will be Pigot, Power, Pagenaud, Newgarden, Herta, Jones, Carpenter, Rossi, and Bourdais. The six drivers who will have to compete for the final three spots are Alonso, O’Ward, Hinchcliffe, Karam, Chilton, and Kaiser. Hinchcliffe crashed in the session but returned later in a backup car. Full qualifying results for the Top 30 here. – INDYCAR – (5/18/2019)

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Alonso leads quiet Saturday morning practice at IMS – McLaren Racing’s Fernando Alonso was fastest in Practice 5 for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a lap at 228.065mph. The full order of the only six cars that turned laps was Alonso, King, Kaiser, Hanley, O’Ward, and Chilton. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/18/2019)

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Juncos backup car passes tech early Saturday morning – Juncos Racing prepared their backup car for Kyle Kaiser throughout the night and it’s ready to go after passing tech on Saturday morning. Check out the team rolling in through Gasoline Alley at the link. – Juncos Racing – (5/18/2019)

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Saturday Indy 500 pit assignments – The Saturday pit assignments for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway are available at the link. This also serves as a simplified version of the qualifying order. – INDYCAR – (5/18/2019)

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Saturday Indy 500 qualifying order – The Saturday qualifying order for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available at the link. – INDYCAR – (5/17/2019)

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Daly leads the way on Indy 500 Fast Friday – Andretti Autosport’s Conor Daly was fastest in Practice 4 for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a lap at 231.704mph. The full Top 5 was Daly, Andretti, Sato, Pigot, and Hunter-Reay. 1,492 laps were completed on the day. Kaiser crashed in the session (see previous notes below). Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/17/2019)

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Kaiser crashes hard in Indy 500 Practice 4 – Juncos Racing’s Kyle Kaiser crashed in Turn 3 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday. His car was heavily damaged but he was quickly checked, cleared, and released from the medical center. See a replay of the incident at the link. – IndyCar on NBC – (5/17/2019)

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Dale Jr. to drive the Indy 500 pace car – “Racing legend and NBC Sports motorsports analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the 2019 Corvette Grand Sport Official Pace Car for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, leading 33 drivers to the green flag Sunday, May 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Earnhardt will perform a dual role during “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” which starts at 12:30 p.m. (ET). Along with driving the Pace Car, Earnhardt will serve as an NBC Sports commentator for the network’s first live telecast of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”” Full release at the link. – IMS – (5/17/2019)

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Trackside podcast 5/16/19 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/16/19 is a great listen as always. NBC’s Leigh Diffey, Terry Lingner, and Mike Wells are guests on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/17/2019)

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Jones quickest in Practice 3 for Indy 500 – Ed Carpenter Racing Scuderia Corsa’s Ed Jones was quickest in Practice 3 for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a lap at 227.843mph. The full Top 5 was Jones, Sato, Veach, Bourdais, and Herta. 1,717 laps were completed on the day. O’Ward crashed in the session (see previous notes below). Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/16/2019)

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O’Ward crashes hard in Indy 500 Practice 3 – Carlin’s Patricio O’Ward crashed in Turn 2 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday. His car was heavily damaged but he was quickly checked, cleared, and released from the medical center. See a replay of the incident at the link. – IMS – (5/16/2019)

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Window World to sponsor Jarett Andretti in Freedom 100 – “Andretti Autosport announced today that Window World will return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the primary sponsor for Jarett Andretti’s No. 18 Indy Lights Dallara for the 2019 Freedom 100 presented by Cooper Tires. Also decorating the racing machine of the third-generation driver are Harding Group, MI Windows and Doors, and Superior Auto as associate sponsors.” See the livery on our No. 18 livery page here. Full release at the link. – Andretti Autosport – (5/16/2019)

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IMS names actors Damon and Bale honorary starters for Indy 500 – “Academy Award-winning actors Matt Damon and Christian Bale will serve as honorary starters for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, waving the green flag to start “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on Sunday, May 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Damon and Bale are starring in the upcoming film “FORD v FERRARI” from 20th Century Fox, the remarkable true story of the visionary American car designer Carroll Shelby (Damon) and the fearless British driver Ken Miles (Bale), who together battled corporate interference, the laws of physics and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (5/16/2019)

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Trackside podcast 5/15/19 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/15/19 is a great listen as always. Jack Harvey and Santino Ferrucci are guests on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/16/2019)

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Newgarden tops Practice 2 for Indy 500 – Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden topped Practice 2 for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a lap at 228.856mph. The full Top 5 was Newgarden, Dixon, Pigot, Ferrucci, and Castroneves. 3,219 laps were completed on the day. Rosenqvist and Alonso each had significant incidents in the session (see previous notes below). Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/15/2019)

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Rosenqvist crashes hard in Indy 500 Practice 2 – Chip Ganassi Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist crashed in Turn 2 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday. His car was heavily damaged but he was immediately checked, cleared, and released from the medical center. See a replay of the incident at the link. – IMS – (5/15/2019)

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Alonso crashes in Indy 500 Practice 2 – McLaren Racing’s Fernando Alonso crashed in between Turns 3 and 4 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday. His car was heavily damaged but he was immediately checked, cleared, and released from the medical center. See a replay of the incident at the link. – IMS – (5/15/2019)

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Clarkson to sing national anthem before Indy 500 – “Multiple Grammy Award-winning superstar Kelly Clarkson will perform the national anthem before the start of the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Clarkson will sing on Race Day in the traditional spot before the 33 drivers are called to their cars in front of the largest single-day spectator sporting event crowd in the world. The performance will take place on the heels of the Tuesday, May 21 season 16 finale of NBC’s “The Voice,” where Clarkson serves as a coach on the hit show. Clarkson, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, first rose to fame in 2002 as the winner of the inaugural season of “American Idol.” She has grown to become one of the most popular artists of any era, with 18 singles boasting multi-platinum, platinum and gold certifications around the world and total worldwide sales of more than 25 million albums and 36 million singles. Clarkson also is the first artist to top each of Billboard’s pop, adult contemporary, country and dance charts.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (5/15/2019)

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Hulman & Company sells Clabber Girl – “B&G Foods, Inc. (NYSE: BGS) announced that effective today it has acquired the Clabber Girl Corporation, a leader in baking products, including baking powder, baking soda and corn starch, from Hulman & Company. In addition to Clabber Girl, the number one retail baking powder brand, Clabber Girl Corporation’s product offerings include the Rumford, Davis, Hearth Club and Royal brands of retail baking powder, baking soda and corn starch, and the Royal brand of foodservice dessert mixes. B&G Foods expects the acquisition to be immediately accretive to earnings per share and free cash flow and projects that the acquired business will generate approximately $70 to $75 million of net sales on an annualized basis. ” Full release at the link. – B&G Foods – (5/15/2019)

Trackside podcast 5/14/19 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/14/19 is a great listen as always. Davey Hamilton and Will Power are guests on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/15/2019)

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Power fastest in Practice 1 for Indy 500 – Team Penske’s Will Power’s lap at 229.745mph was fastest in Practice 1 for the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The full Top 5 was Power, Pagenaud, Carpenter, Castroneves, and Herta. 2,680 laps were completed on the day. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/14/2019)

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IMS and IndyStar announce $500k contest – “The IndyStar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway announce the launch of the Race to $500K Indy 500 Pick’em Contest. The contest, beginning on May 20, 2019, will allow fans to predict the finishing order of the May 26 Indianapolis 500 race. The winner who correctly predicts the finishing order of all 33 drivers will win $500,000 presented by IndyStar and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Participants can submit their predictions at www.indystar.com/500k until 11 a.m. ET Sunday, May 26 to be entered to win the cash prize. In addition, all registered participants will be entered to win one of two Runner-Up Prizes: A VIP experience including pre-race pit passes for the 2020 Indianapolis 500 and a pair of Grandstand Tickets for the 2020 race.” Full release at the link. – IMS – (5/14/2019)

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Teams experimenting with windscreens to reduce AFP buffeting – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports some NTT IndyCar Series teams are experimenting with small windscreens between the driver and the new AFP device to reduce helmet buffeting some drivers are experiencing in preparations for the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Full story at the link. – RACER – (5/14/2019)

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Trackside podcast 5/13/19 – 1070 The Fan’s Trackside with Curt Cavin and Kevin Lee radio show from 5/13/19 is a great listen as always. Oriol Servia is a guest on the show. – 1070 The Fan – (5/14/2019)

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Juncos loses major sponsors ahead of Indy 500 preparation – RACER’s Marshall Pruett reports Juncos Racing has lost their two major sponsors for their Indianapolis 500 Mile Race effort. However, they will continue their efforts to qualify for the race this week. “So right now, we are in and we are committed and we are going to focus 100 percent on performance,” owner Ricardo Juncos told RACER. “We really believe in ourselves, we believe that we have a good team, good driver.” Full story at the link. – RACER – (5/14/2019)

The Open Wheel’s INDYCAR GP photo gallery – The Open Wheel’s INDYCAR Grand Prix photo gallery from NTT IndyCar Series and Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires action on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/11/2019)

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Pagenaud wins the INDYCAR Grand Prix – Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud won the INDYCAR Grand Prix for the third time in wet conditions on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The full Top 5 was Pagenaud, Dixon, Harvey, Leist, and Pigot. Full results here. – INDYCAR – (5/11/2019)

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The Open Wheel’s Indy Lights Indianapolis road course livery page – The Open Wheel’s livery feature of all the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires cars on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/11/2019)

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The Open Wheel’s INDYCAR GP livery page – The Open Wheel’s livery feature of all the cars at the NTT IndyCar Series INDYCAR Grand Prix on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is available at the link. – The Open Wheel – (5/11/2019)

O’Ward named to Red Bull Junior Team – “Carlin’s Patricio O’Ward was announced today as the newest member of the Red Bull Junior Team. The 20 year-old rookie, who has proved to be one of the most exciting drivers this season in the 2019 NTT IndyCar Series, will follow in the footsteps of several young talented drivers as he joins the Red Bull Junior program.” Full release at the link. – Carlin – (5/9/2019)

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TODAY show to be hosted from IMS on 5/23 – “TODAY is heading to Indianapolis for a special broadcast honoring military caregivers. On Thursday, May 23, TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie is teaming up with Hollywood legend Tom Hanks to co-host an hour of TODAY, live from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!” Full release at the link. – TODAY – (5/9/2019)